~ A glass of water. The new soda ???

~ A glass of water. The new soda ???

Water: It's what we drink at restaurants these days

Watching their wallets and waistlines, Americans are ordering more free tap water when they eat out. That is cutting into the bottom lines of restaurants, which draw hefty profits from sodas, juices and alcohol.

Re:~ A glass of water. The new soda ???2012/03/02 10:25:37
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Count me in!! I ALWAYS get water wherever I eat. I'm not a big mixed drink or wine drinker but if there is a local beer that catches my eye I'll give it a go. Just had a Smoked Porter at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que a couple of weeks ago (along with my water) and it was great! Not a big fan of soda either unless it's a local thing like Foxon Park, Sprecher's, Big Red, etc that I haven't tried before. I sometimes order juice when I'm out at brunch. Being in training mode for the past year for running, drinking water at meals has just become second nature to me

Re:~ A glass of water. The new soda ???2012/03/02 15:27:48
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The reason people aren't drinking beverages is because restaurants and even fast food places have crossed over the price line where people are willing to pay for a soft or hard drink. The bride and I had lunch yesterday. The tab was $20.00 before tax and tip. 2 Cokes represented 20% of the tab! They're killing the Goose that lays the Golden Eggs!Had a 99 cent burger value meal the other day. A small coke was $1.79! Almost twice the price of the burger!Don't these people realize that most customers aren't stupid??

Re:~ A glass of water. The new soda ???2012/03/02 15:34:44
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If I know I'm going to a fast food place, I stop at Circle K on my way and get a 32 oz drink for 79 cents . Then go get my food and sit in the car and eat it. 2 stops? Yes Inconvenient? Yes Sticking to my principles of not overpaying for a drink? Priceless!

Re:~ A glass of water. The new soda ???2012/03/02 21:49:53
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i was in a restaurant 3 weeks ago they said water was $1.00 a bottle.i said fine as i had to take some pills before i ate.so the waitress brings me out a glass of water with ice in it and said here you go, i said i wanted the bottle not in a glass and she said we pour it for you.i told her to bring me a bottle or i dont want it.she couldnt she said .she would get in trouble with owner.as the other waitress was bringing my meal over when i was disagreeing with her,i told them to return the food i ordered that i wasnt paying and left.i gave her my cell phone number to tell the owner to call me if their was a problem with me walking out.never heard from him.found out from my neice that her friend is a waitress there at nights they've been using tap water for the past year and charging the people.

Re:~ A glass of water. The new soda ???2012/03/03 09:14:49
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For myself, I'd rather save the calories or carbs for an appetizer or dessert (hardly ever) or my entree. I count sodas and even good sweet tea as wasted calories and usually only have them on rare occasions. Sodas contain absolutely nothing that would contribute to my health and water quenches thirst better. Sweet tea? well, it's part of my culture and history.

Re:~ A glass of water. The new soda ???2012/03/03 12:41:32
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I bought the Entertainment Coupon Book this year, thinking that I could save money and enjoy a meal at several of the restaurants around this area.

Not this time. It used to be... Buy dinner or lunch entres and get one free.

Now it's buy one entres with two drinks and get the second one free.

The restaurants are making up the your savings with the purchase of two drinks.

The profit margin is much higher on beverages.

I refuse to pay $3+ for a soda. That's now becoming the price for a cup of coffee.

And... with the purchase of coffee in a few restaurants that actually serve a good cup of coffee you don't see the server come around to ask you if you'd like another cup until you've put on your jacket to leave.

I've been drinking more water. No lemon for me. They are filthy and then they put them in you glass of water.

My mother hasn't purchased a drink in YEARS! She can get her cup of coffee at home.

Re:~ A glass of water. The new soda ???2012/03/03 13:30:25
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If I'm going to be spending a lot of money on a drink, it had better be one that I actually want. I don't drink HFCS sweetened drinks, avoid ones with any kind of sugar, and I can't drink alcoholic beverages (metabolic problem). Colas are near the bottom of my preference list of sodas, I can't even swallow iced tea, and I don't care for hot beverages. Which generally means that the only beverage offered by most restaurants that I will drink is water. And only then do I get to the price. And with the current prices, even the rare exceptions where I ordered something other than water (for example, an iced coffee if it's on the menu; waitstaff get it immediately when I say that pouring hot coffee over ice is like pouring hot water into cold coffee) are rapidly disappearing. It's getting limited to ethnic restaurants which have a special drink (such as lassi in Indian restaurants, but now that a lot of them are charging $4+ for an 8 ounce glass, not even that as much).

Re:~ A glass of water. The new soda ???2012/03/03 13:48:48
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starfire62

i was in a restaurant 3 weeks ago they said water was $1.00 a bottle.i said fine as i had to take some pills before i ate.so the waitress brings me out a glass of water with ice in it and said here you go, i said i wanted the bottle not in a glass and she said we pour it for you.i told her to bring me a bottle or i dont want it.she couldnt she said .she would get in trouble with owner.as the other waitress was bringing my meal over when i was disagreeing with her,i told them to return the food i ordered that i wasnt paying and left.i gave her my cell phone number to tell the owner to call me if their was a problem with me walking out.never heard from him.found out from my neice that her friend is a waitress there at nights they've been using tap water for the past year and charging the people.

You need to let the local news media know about this. Shame on them! How long did they think they could get away with this?

I always order water, and I'm sorry, but you'd better keep my glass filled or bring a pitcher if you want a decent tip. I'm on medication that has me drinking about 320 ounces a day. If you're not going to let me bring in my water jug, then keep the water coming. I'll make up for it in the tip.

Anything over $2 for a soft drink is highway robbery. Kind of like charging me $2 for seltzer. Ridiculous.

Re:~ A glass of water. The new soda ???2012/03/12 08:32:02
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Treetop Tom

I went to a restaurant recently where I was told that in order to have water with my meal I would have to buy bottled water @ $1.99 per because their tap water wasn't drinkable. Huh?

That happened to me a few years back. When I questioned what water was used for their coffee and iced tea, I got a blank stare. Left & never went back. Seems to me it would be a health hazard cooking & cleaning with non potable water.

Considering about 8 oz is the most soda I care to have (never mind the empty calories of 20-30+ oz of soft drinks), my price point is about $1.50, although I normally have water with most meals. Even if I don't order a soft drink, I rarely return to any place charging >$1.75 for a soft drink. When they price gouge on soft drinks, one has to wonder how over priced the other items are and / or whether they skimp on quality when a price appears reasonable.

Stopped in one place this past weekend charging $2.69 for a soft drink - a new record high for me. Will never be back.

Of course, you know you're really about to be gouged when they don't even attempt to display soft drink prices on their menu.

Re:~ A glass of water. The new soda ???2012/03/12 12:30:17
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I can't stand tap water, unless there's tea and lemon in it to cover up the taste. I'm VERY sensitive to the chlorine in it, and can smell it a mile away. Some places are worse than others, but I either get a beer or iced tea if I'm eating out.

Re:~ A glass of water. The new soda ???2012/03/12 13:25:16
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We're water drinkers all the time but sometimes will have La Croix water which is a sparkling carbonated lime flavored drink. I like sparkling water too with some lemon but what I mostly like to drink is scotch!! And without the water!

Re:~ A glass of water. The new soda ???2012/03/12 14:26:57
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SeamusD

I can't stand tap water, unless there's tea and lemon in it to cover up the taste. I'm VERY sensitive to the chlorine in it, and can smell it a mile away. Some places are worse than others, but I either get a beer or iced tea if I'm eating out.

Good point, there are some areas of the country where tap water is terrible. However, I find it more due to residual minerals than chlorine.

On the other hand, restaurant iced tea is a notorious source of high bacteria content, particularly when it's not heated properly when prepared and/or not refrigerated properly after preparation. It's a reason many fast food / chain places do not have it on their menu.

Re:~ A glass of water. The new soda ???2012/03/12 17:56:26
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leethebard

To say nothing about the bacteria on those lemon slices

Nah - the ortho phenyl phenol (o-phenylphenol biphenylol 2-hydroxybiphenyl orthophenyl phenol o-xenol orthoxenol) on the rinds will kill most anything. Now anything on the server's hand while handling the slices might be a different concern......

Re:~ A glass of water. The new soda ???2012/03/13 09:26:05
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mjambro

SeamusD

I can't stand tap water, unless there's tea and lemon in it to cover up the taste. I'm VERY sensitive to the chlorine in it, and can smell it a mile away. Some places are worse than others, but I either get a beer or iced tea if I'm eating out.

Good point, there are some areas of the country where tap water is terrible. However, I find it more due to residual minerals than chlorine.

On the other hand, restaurant iced tea is a notorious source of high bacteria content, particularly when it's not heated properly when prepared and/or not refrigerated properly after preparation. It's a reason many fast food / chain places do not have it on their menu.

I've run into both issues, high chlorine content and just plain nasty tasting water. Never got sick from a glass of tea though (that I know of). I've been to a few places where I swear they have a pipe straight from the back of the toilet to the tap, with a 2000 Flushes in the tank.

Re:~ A glass of water. The new soda ???2012/03/13 10:44:14
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I notice myself going out less and less. As I get older I just think there are some things I will not pay for. three dollar watered down sodas are one of them. Nor will I pay 5 dollars for a cup of burned tasting coffee served to me by a slackjawed barista with a liberal arts degree.

Re:~ A glass of water. The new soda ???2012/03/13 11:24:23
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I usually don't drink calories and will always have water when dining out except when I'm in a deli. Then I will usually have diet Dr. Brown's Black Cherry,the cost of which varies from $1.50 to $2.50.

Re:~ A glass of water. The new soda ???2012/03/13 14:53:44
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Since I was diagnosed with diabetes a year ago, my choices are somewhat limited when I eat out - water, unsweetened iced tea, or diet cola are usually it in the non-alcoholic realm. I am ok with a diet coke or diet pepsi but I rarely want more than one. And without getting a refill, there is no reason to pay $3 for a soda. I was ok with it when I knew I was going to drink several refills (of course this probably contributed heavily to the above mentioned diagnosis but that's another topic entirely). I do like when I run across a place that has an alternate diet drink like diet mountain dew or dr. pepper and will order that just for something different.